Railway tie bed shaping machine



July 16, l1940.

J. c. FoREMAN Er AL y RAILWAY TIE BED SHAPING MACHINE Filed Aug. l, 19382 Sheets-Sheet 1 wom m2 m2 E H 2 lmaentors vom m 0..

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RAILWA TIE BED SHAPING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. l, 1938Patented July 16, 1940 UNITE-D ,s'rlx'rssA ArtNr OFFICE `RAILWAY TIE BEDsHAPrNG MACHINE.

IJohnIC. Foreman, Grand Island, and Leonard'J.

OVermam-Omaha, Nebr.'k

Application August v1, 193s, serial No. 222,496

15V Claims.

"The present inventionv pertains to railway road y rnalclearance betweenthebottoms of the rails 'and the individualtie rbeds, i. e.,^those areas`of :the v'ballast lroad :bed which "supportthe ties."Consequently,whenever-an oldtie is removed the u old vballast 'tie bedmustbe cut down sufficiently `to .permit'insertion fof the thicker new`tie into "place,

The present'practiceis to'lowerthe tie bed surface by'handpicking'.vHoweverfitis impossible in thislmannerto provide a perfect fit for thenew tie without 'completelydestroying the original ballast surface orbed on whichthe old tie rested. Thisis ra rserious objection to the hand`picking methodbecause it Iresults-iin destruction of "the *best tiebeds-since the old ties .are'replaced first and these, having beenin`place longest, havethe Vbest foundations. After destruction ofthe orig-"i-nal tie-bed bythand picking,.it `requires numer- `ons retampings4over a period of rseveral years vv'beforethe Vtie bed issuf'ciently'restored to 'carry v 'its load. In'thefmean'tim'efthe weightofthe tra'fc is thrown onto the adjoining 'ties and thereby shortenstheir period of usefulness. A'Placement of new ties on tie`bedsshapedbyfhand picking -;also aids vin vthe developm'entof trans-`werse iissurerails with resulting rail "failures and the possibility ofderailrnent.

The purpose of the .present invention is to -provide-a machine havingpower driven 'grading lor dressing means adapted for "operation'to cut idownor'rgrade .theold tie beds'to therproper level parallel 'to 'therails 'soV as 'to accurately receive lthe 4new f ties, but`without'injuring oreven substantially disturbing "the old tie bedballast sur- -faces as a result loi? thevdressing operation. In 'thismanner there'is furnished Ya plane-surface, cross'bed for each new'tiewhi'ch consists entire- `rly of ballast whichhasznot 'been loosenedVfrom the Well-packed condition which it possessed Awhile'the 'old tiewas'still in service. Thus, each vnew "tie, Vbeingl placed on f-a solidor established tie 'bed or "ballast lfoundation, can .carry its` fullload limmediately. f

.'-An important object y'is thedesigning of a sim- 'pleiandfrelativelylightffbut rugged, machine for (orar- 104) y the purpose stated, whichis in the form of Va wheeled device mounted forready movement on thetrack rails so that it may be operated to `dress old tie beds in quicksuccession and thus greatly reduce the time ordinarily required toreplace old ties with new ones. In operation, the machine functionsthrough ready manual manipulationthereof by a minimum of operators todress down the tie beds, not only between andoutside of therails, butunder the rails. Hence, 'the entire tie bed is properly shaped tosolidly receive thenew tie. A feature of the machine 4.is the employmentof a specially designed cutting head to facilitate dressingl of the tiebed beneath lthe rails.

A further feature of the machine resides in yits ufo rigid constructionand its-mounting on the rails,

thus insuring accurate andconstant control of the Ydepth at which thetie bed dressing means shalloperate vand the amount of ballast to beremovedfrom the tie bed. The depth of cutting may'be readily andaccurately lVaried by .manual adjustment to insure a perfect nt for yanysize tie to beinserted, thereby .avoiding the needof any y-vtamping ofthe bed, since the tie will rest on a;

solid bed adapted to bear its full load at once. v

An outstanding feature is the designingnof the machine so that the powerdriven, tie bed grading means, `and `thesupporting means therefor, .areadapted for ready and easy manual manipulation and control by theoperators to dress the tie bed, g to-elevate the `grading means in orderto clear the rails irl-transferring yoperations from inside the rails tothe outside thereof, and to elevate the grading means to inoperativeposition as when not in use. A power source for the grading ,means whichis mounted on` the portable track .machina lis arranged to aid in theready manipulation of the gradingmeans just mentioned.

Further objects 4and advantages will be apparent from the followingdetailed description :and the'accompanying drawings, which latter show apractical embodiment of the invention now in use. f

Figure l is a side elevation of the machinein yoperating position on arailway track with the `cutter headoperating on the tie; bed midwaybetween the Tails, the inoperative or rail clearing l position of thecutter head and its pivoted sup-y Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectionalview, crosswise of the rails and road bed, showing the rotary cutterhead (with certain of the cutters omitted) `operating beneath a rail.

The tie bed shaping machine', as illustrated, comprises a mainsupporting truck body or under frame 4 of generally rectangular formmade up of end channel irons 5, 6 and side channel irons 1, 8 rigidlysecured together, as by riveting or welding at the corners. Journalboxes 9, axles I9 and wheels II support the truck on rails I2, I3. Therails I2, I3 are supported by ties, one of which is shown at I4. BallastI6, which may be of any suitable type, such as disintegrated granite,etc. extends under and forms a solid supporting bed I1 for each tie andalso substantially lls the crib spaces I8 between adjoining ties.

l'nterposed between each rail and each tie is a tie plate I9 having ashoulder I9' engaging the` outer edge of the rail base. Spikes 20 extendthrough openings 2| in the tie plate to secure the rail, the tie plateand the tie together.

Side channels 1, 8 of the truck frame are ex- "tended at their ends tosupport front and rear,

cross rods 22, 23 which serve as hand holds for manually moving themachine on the track.

v Suitably secured in side channels 1, 8 as by means of bolts and nuts24, are wooden fillers 1, 8', the purpose of which will appear later.

Arranged transversely of and above the machine truck 4, and towards therear thereof, is

-an extended, horizontal track or guide rail 26 which is adapted tosupport the tie bed shaping means for movement crosswise of the road bedas described later. Track 26 is pivotally supported by the sides of thetruck for swinging movement in a vertical plane lengthwise of the truckwith track 26 parallel to rails I2, I3, and hence, parallel to the ties.For this purpose, track 26 has secured to the underside thereof, as bywelding, a pair of angle members 21, 21. The upright arm 28 of each ofthese members depends just inside of truck frame 4 and is provided withan upper perforation 29 and a lower perforation 30 (Fig. 1) A pivot boltand nut 3| is arranged in each of the lower perforations 3|) and extendsthrough the adjoining side channel iron and filler of the truck frame topivotally mount track 26 in place. As will be clear, track 26 projectsconsiderably beyond the sides of truck body 4 to support the laterdescribed tie bed shaping means and the vsupporting means therefor intheir transverse movements during shaping of the individual tie beds I1between and under rails I2, I3, and also A horizontal, angle-iron guiderail 32 also extends crosswise of the machine parallel to, but somewhatabove, rail 26, and is rigidly secured to rail 26 by L-shaped members 33which are welded or otherwise suitably attached to track 26 and rail 32.Thus, guide rail 32 is unitary with track 26 and partakes of the pivotalmovements of the latter for a purpose explained later.

Arranged above track 26 and supported thereby `intermediate its ends,for bodily movement along the track transversely of the machine and forunitary pivotal or swinging movement in a vertical plane with track 26on its pivots 3|, 3|, is an elongated, rigid upper frame or boom 34.This frame extends lengthwise of the machine and somewhat beyond theends of truck frame 4. Frame 34 carries the tie bed grading means at itsforward portion and the power driving means therefor at its rear portionso as to thus substantially counterbalance frame 34 on pivots 3| 3| andthus facilitate pivotal movement of this frame when moved by theoperator as set forth hereinafter.

Frame 34 comprises a pair of channel irons 35, 35 each having parallelforward portions 36, 36, parallel rear portions 31, 31 and convergingintermediate portions 38, 38. Channel irons 35, 35 are rigidly connectedtogether by angle irons 38', 39, welded thereto, and also by a forward,operating handle 46 welded to frame portions 36, 36. i

Upwardly-bent angle irons 4|, 4I' are supported at their forwardportions on channels 35, 35 and are rigidly secured thereto and tointermediate spacer members 42 (only one shown) by bolts passing throughthese parts as indicated. The outer or rear ends of angleirons 4|, 4|'are rigidly connected together by a rearv operating handle 43 weldedthereto at 44 and 44. Plates 45 and 46, welded to angle irons 4I, 4|',provide a bed upon which is supported and suitably secured a source ofmotive power, suchas the in'- ternal combustion engine 41l illustrated.

Welded to the inner sides of portions 31, 31' of channels 35, 35' andprojecting rearwardly thereof are relatively large angle irons 48, 49.Supported on thehorizontal portions 50, 50 of these angle irons andwelded thereto yso as to brace frame 34 are plates 5I 52. Eachhorizontal angle portion 5|!` has welded to its underside a seov plate53 to which latter is also welded` an in- Vroad bed. Track 26 beingrelatively wide and rollers 58, 58 being elongated, a substantialsupporting surface is thereby provided for frame 34.

suitably mounted in plate 53 andthe top 54' and arms 55, 56 of each yoke54, isa pair of,

vertical pins or shafts 59, 60 having rollers 59', 60' arranged on`opposite sides of track 26. Rollers 59', k6ll' are offset horizontallyfromrollers 58, 58 (Fig.2), and each roller 59', 60 has an upwardly andinwardly tapered end flange 6| which extends beneath the reverselybeveled edge 62 formed at each side of the head of track 26. Thus anges6| of the four rollers 59', 59', 60', 60' coact with track edges 62, 62to effectively prevent any substantial longitudinal shifting o-rhorizontal twisting of frame or carriage 34 on track 26. Hence,horizontal rollers 58, 58 are always maintained in properposition on thetrack.

Flanges 6| of the four vertical rollers just mentioned, together withhorizontal rollers 58, 58, also coact with the head of track 26, laswill be evident, to cause the trackto swing aboutits pivot pins 3|, 3|substantially as aunit with frame 34 when the latter is raised orlowered at either 'end by its operating handle 46 or 43. Re-

l movable pins 63, 63 at the ends of track 26 limit ingforce lto ytrack2.6.

l'l'iorizontal portion 32 ofzguide raill 32 and rollers :68,68 belowytheysame `for coactionitherewlth to .laid in :balancing frame or :boom:34 on `'track `12.6, while permitting freesmovement oil 'frame 34-jlaterally of .the .machine on 'track 26. When handle v43 is depressed`or handle'48iraised .to elevate the forward end of frame ;34 toward.the inoperative, dotted-line :position of Fig. 1, `rollers ,'51, 61.force guide rail `32 downwardly and, through members 33, impart anadditional turn- This notonly greatly fa- :cilitates thepivotalfmovement of track 2-6 and elevation :of the .forward 4end offrame 34, .but yalso minimizes the cramping or binding .of.rollers'58,'59 and v68 on track 26, whichmight otherwise interfere withdesired movement of fra-me..34 alongl .track 26 at .this time. Rollers.68,168 coact similarly withguide rail .32 for the same purpose, only ina kreverse direction, when 'handle `l|8 is depressed or handle43elevated to .lower the forward end of frame `34 towardsthe full-line,operative or tie bed shaping'position of Fig. .1.

Another horizontal angle iron guide rail-69 extends across the machineto support the forward end of frame 34 when it is in the horizontal, tie.bed shaping position of Figs. `1 andIZ, and during its movements alongtrack -26 while in this position. Guide'rail 6.9 is rigidly supportedparallel to the track rails l2, |13 by a pair of .upright angle members18, l18 welded thereto yat their upper vends. llilaclfrmernber 1.8is-slotted at 18 'to receive a bolt 1| which extends through .the .truckframe 4. In this manner,y guide rail-69 is trigidly but adjustablysupported .on .the truck `frame 4. f y

Mounted in angle members 38 -and3z9 is a rotatable shaft 12 having aneccentric portion 12'. On the latter is rotatably mountedaroller 13which bears on guide rail `6.3. vRollerv1`3 supports the front end'offrame-,34 omguiderail 488 at all times when the frame is in itsoperating or bed dressing position. Shaft 12 is formed with a crank 14which .is operatively .connected by a .,li'nk 15 to one arm of a bell.crank lever .16 ,piv-

oted .on frame .34. A rack rsegment 11 .is vassociated with .theoperating-armof the bell crank lever for coaction with a conventional,grip-operated .pawl 1.8 on the .lever arm. This provides for readyrotation of shaft 12 and-the securing thereof .inany adjusted position.Obviouslyrotation of shaft 12 will change .thevertical .position of,roller v13, because of the ,eccentric .1.2, and thereby raise or lowerthe forward or tiebed cutter end of frame v34, depending uponthedirectionof rotation of the shaft. .This adjustment, as ap- ,.pearslater,.is .used to .variably .control .or gage the depth at which thecuttenmeansoperate vin dressing the tie bed.

Rigidly clamped between forward ,portions-.36, 36 of .frame v31|, bymeans of-blocks 1.9, 1.9 inthe frame channels and bolts A,8.8, 8.8, .is.a sectional, vertical, outer drive shaft housing'8l of .rectangular,horizontal cross-section. .Within housing 8| is clamped an inner housing82,having an .upper roller bearing 83 and a lower thrust bearing 84,`through which a vertical cutter-head drive shaft 85 extends. Keyed tothe upper end of drive shaft 85 is a flanged pulley 86 from whichextends an endless driving belt 81 connected at its opposite endtopulley 88 on the driving shaft 41' of engine 41, whereby operation ofthe engine serves to rapidly revolvecutter head shaft l85 clockwiseasindicated in Figs. ,2 and 3. Handle A||8for frame 34 carries av pivotedlever .89.having a At-.reach .rod .98 .operatively connecting 'the lever'.and `the throttle of engine 41, whereby-the speed v'of the lattermaybe conveniently controlled by the operator wliile manipulating thecutter frame .'34 by handle .48.

.Also convenient tothe operator manipulating vhandle 1'48 are means forcontrolling a tightener for belt y(il so as to vary its tension and thusthe power transmitted to cutter shaft 85 by the en- ;gine. The belttightener comprises a .post 9| rigidly-mounted upon frame 34 and havinga horizontal armf92fpivotally mounted on its upper end. Astrid. 82 onthe outer end of arm 92 carries a rotatable, flanged .idler roller 93which `engages endless belt :81. -A-reach rod 84 operativelyconnectsarnrSZ with one arm of a bell crank .lever -95-pv0ted on theforward portion of frame 34 adfjoining handle 48. A rack segment 98 isassociated wth the operating arm 95 of the bell crank lever for coactionwith a conventional grip-operated pawl 91 on lever arm 85. By operatinglever arm 185', roller 83may be swung horizontally to vary its pressureon belt 81 Yand hence lthe .tension of the belt, whereupon arm 95 issecured in adjusted position. v

`Shafthousingl is further braced, to insure its rigid mounting in frame34, by means of a vbrace '98 attachedto the forward end of frame 34 andto housing 8l at 98'. Another brace for shaft .housing .8| is `formed byangle members 98 and |88 which are bolted together at '|8|. Member :9,8is bolted to 'frame 34 at |82 and a U-clamp |83 secures `a member |88 tohousing 8|. A second clamp |83, bolted yaround housing 8i, carries ahoop-like safety guard |84 adapted to protect the .'operators feet andlimbs from the rapidly rvro- .tated cutter'head now to be described..

The tie bed shaping means or cutter head comprises a`horizontally-disposed, flat disk |185 rof Vrelatively large diameterkeyed to the lower end fof drive-shaft85- Asl shown most clearly inFigs. lando3, this disk has adjustably mounted in openings therein anumber Aof tie bed or ballast cutftingknives-.or Adigging elements thecutting edges .of which #are all located in asinglehorizontal plane.rlhese Vknives include a diametrically-opposed side cutting pair ofknives |86, |81 secured .by set screws |88', |81' and inclined radiallybeyond `the periphery of disk |85.

ying cut `of the cutter head, as shown in Fig. 1, and mayalso be Vusedto trim upright surfaces of the road bed where necessary inpreparingthetie bed. An annular series of base cutting knives |88 .is similarlyadjustably mounted Iaround 'the margin .of disk |85 and are inclinedoutwardly towards the periphery of the disk. A pair of Thus, theseknives control the width ofthe grading or dress- 50' underhead cleaning,blades-|89, |89 is `secured to l the underside of disk |85.

.Inusing .the herein-described tie lbed shaping .machina the old tiesand tie plates are removed in rthe usual 4manner without ydisturbing`the `surfaces of the oldtie beds. The machine is then moved along therailway track, with cutter head |85 elevated to yclear ythe road :bedand any ties still in, place, until the cutterhead, when lowered,

.is irectly over the old tie Vbed i1 which is to be dressed or planeddown kto .receive a new tie. The thickness of the new .tie is nowmeasured .and lever 1.6 swung in the proper direction toraise or lowerthe front end of frame or carriage r34,-and

hence.cutter head |85, so that .the knives of the latter ,are set, whenroller 1.3 is resting on guide rail 69,-to cutat adepth .belowthe .basesvof rails l2,l 1.3 equal to the .thicknessofthe new tie plus adapted toaccurately receive the new tie and the tie plates on the original, solidbed.

Assuming engine 41 is now running so that the .cutter head |35 israpidly rotated, the operator vat the front end of the machine useshandle 40 to hold roller 13 on guide rail 69, or to move it down ontothe guide rail, so that the ballast tie bed I1 under cutter head |05will be cut away to the proper, predetermined depth. At the same timethis operator, assisted by an operator using handle 43, may readily movecarriage 34 bodily crosswise of the machine along track 2B and guiderail 59, so as to progressively grade or plane the tie bed I1 lengthwisethereof across the road bed at the new, predetermined level. Cutter head|05 is of suflicient diameter to plane the tie bed I1 over its entirewidth without the necessity of moving the machine and cutter headlengthwise of tracks I2, I3.

During the above operations, the operator at the front end may, ascircumstances demand, vary the power supplied by motor 41 by operatinglever 39, and may also control the transmission of power from the motorto cutter head |65 by adjusting the belt tightener through lever 95.

'Ihe machine is designed and readily operable to grade or shape to a newplane surface the entire surface of the old tie bed I1, even beneath therails I2, I3 as indicated in Fig. 4. Although other procedure may befollowed, generally in planing off a tie bed I1, operations are startedoutside of one of the railway rails I2, I3. For instance, frame 34 maybe first manipulated by the operators, by vertical swinging of the frontend of the frame and shifting of the frame crosswise of the road bed, tobring the cutter head in position to dress the tie bed outside of andpartly under rail I3. The cutter head is then raised sufficiently, asindicated in Fig. l, to clear the rail vI3 when carriage 34 is shiftedlaterally to move the cutter head into position between the rails. Thecutter head being so moved, it is lowered and the bed planed 01T betweenthe rails, the resurfacing under rail I3 being completed at this timeand the bed I1 also partly regraded under rail I3 as shown in Fig. 4.The cutter head is now lifted as before so that it will pass over rail I2, whereupon it is shifted laterally and lowered, the operator thencompleting the resurfacing of the entire tie bed I1 by regrading the bedoutside of rail I2 and finishing the grading under this rail.

Except for the presence of loosened and easily removable particles ofballast remaining on the tie bed following the planing operationdescribed 'but which are readily removed by a broom orr shovel, the tiebed I1 is now finished and ready to receive the new tie. Consequently,the cutter head is raised and the machine moved along tracks I2, I3 intoproper position for refinishing the next tie bed. The new tie is slippedinto place on the finished bed and rails I 2, I3 elevated to permitinsertion of the tie plates, which, to-

gether with the rails, are then spiked in place. The rst train over thetrack firmly seats the tie plates, the rails and the ties, and hence thetrack at this point is immediately supported on a solid foundationwithout need of any tamping of the ballast tie bed.

Although other suitable types of cutting heads may be used, the rotatingdisk type shown has various important advantages and is thereforepreferred. In using the rotating disk type of cutter head,'the cutterhead may be made of minimum overall thickness or height in order tofacilitate its operation beneath the rails. In addition, the cutter headoperating shaft 85 and its housing 82 may be of a minimum overall sizeAs stated, frame 34 is supported by track V26- and guide rail 69 whenthe frame is in its hori- Zontal or operating position and during allbodily shifting movements thereof crosswise of the machine during actualgrading of the tie bed. Therefore, track 26 and guide rail 69 functionas limiting means to gage the depth to which the cutter head grades thetie bed, and insures that the new tie bed surface will bel parallel tothe bottoms of the rails. As explained already, variation of thev levelto which the cutter head grades the tie bed may be obtained by adjustingroller 13. This takes care of relatively small variations in thethickness of new ties. When it is necessary to grade to lower levels,this may be accomplished by lowering members 1U, 1|), and hence theguide rail 69, and then securing these members again with the guide railparallel to the track rails I2, I3. Whenever this lowering adjustment isexcessive, the pivot about which track 26 and boom 34 oscillates islowered so as to insure that the actual cutting plane of cutter head |05will be substantially parallel to the bottoms of the track rails. Thisis effected by removing pivot pins 3|, 3|, lowering track 26 and frame34, and then securing pins 3|, 3| in the upper holes 29, 29 of pivotmembers 21, 21. In other words, holes 29, 29 are used when grading atlower levels, and holes 30, 30, when operating at higher levels.

Ihe facility with which the machine may .be operated will be obviousfrom the above description. Since the newly finished tie bed is still inits original well-packed condition, thus requiring no retamping when thenew tie is put in place, and less ballast has to be removed from the oldtie bed, the machine can be operated to Vdress tie beds in relativelyrapid succession, thereby greatly decreasing the time heretoforerequired in replacing old ties. The insertion of the new ties onestablished tie beds, resurfaced as described herein, permitsmaintenance of the track at much less cost, and improves the ridingcondition of the track. It also prevents traffic delays by eliminatingspeed restrictions which are necessary in places where heavy tieremovals have been made by the hand-picking method.

While the invention has been described in some detail, no necessarylimitation thereto is implied, and modications within the scope of theappendedclaims are contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. A railway tie bed shaping machine comprising a support adapted formounting on the railway track rails; a carriage on the support; gradingmeans on the carriage, said carriage and grading means being movabletransversely of the support and the railway rails for gradingsubstantially the entire surface of the tie bed including those portionsof the bed beneath the railway rails and said grading means beingmovable transversely of the support for the entire length of the tiebed, the grading means being of such ing a support mounted onthe rails;a carriage on the support; grading Vmeans on the carriage, said carriageand grading means being movable transversely ofthe support and the railsand said grading means also being -movable vertically for grading a tiebed; stop means on the support for limiting downward movement of thegrading means to control the grading level; and means for driving thegrading means.

3. The combination of claim 2 further characterized in that means areprovided for eiecting relatively small changes in the lowermost level atwhich the grading means may operate, and separate means are provided foreffecting relatively large changes therein.

4. A railway tie bed shaping machine comprising a frame adapted formounting on the railway track rails; grading means, including arotatable cutting head, mounted on the frame for movement transverselyof the frame and the railway track rails to grade a tie bed, saidgrading means including the rotatable cutting head being of such sizeand so constructed and so arranged upon the v frame as to` provide formovement of said rotatable cutting head beneath a railway rail to gradethe tie bed beneath said railway rail to the proper level to receive atie; and means for driving the grading means.

5. A railway tie bed shaping machine comprising a support mounted on therails; grading means mounted on the support for movement transverselythereof and for vertical movement to grade a tie bed and toy pass over arail, said grading means including a rotatable, disk-type cutter headadapted to grade the tie bed beneath a rail and having an effectivecutting diameter sulicient to simultaneously cut the entire width of thetie bed and also to grade the entire tie bed surface beneath a rail; andmeans for driving the grading means.

6. A railway tie bed shaping machine comprising a frame adapted formounting on the railway track rails; grading means, havinga singlecuttinghead, carried by the frame for movement transversely of the frameand the railway rails to grade `substantially the entire surface of atie bed including those portions of the bed beneath the railway rails,said cutting head being movable transversely of the frame for the entirelength of the tie bed, the grading means including the cutting headbeing of such size and so constructed and so arranged upon the frame asto provide for movement of said cutting head beneath the railway railsto grade said portionsof the tie bed beneath said railway rails to theproper level to receive a new tie; and means for driving the cuttinghead.

'7. A railway tie bed shaping machine comprising a frame mounted on therails; an arm on said frame; grading means on the arm, said arm andvgrading means being vertically swingable lengtha rcarriage on saidsupporting rails; grading means on said carriage, said carriage andgrading means being movable transversely of the frame on said supportingrails for grading a tie bed,`at least oneof said supporting rails beingvertically adjustable to vary the grading level of the grading means;and meansforfdriving the grading means. v

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein the vertically adjustablesupporting rail is located between the other supporting rail and thegrading means, and an eccentrically mounted roller is mounted foradjustment between the carriage and the adjustable supporting rail foreffecting minor changes in the operating level of the grading means.

10. A railway tie bed shaping machine comprising a irame movable alongthe track rails; a pair of spaced supporting rails arranged crosswise ofsaid frame; a longitudinally-extending carriage carried by saidsupporting rails intermediate its ends; grading means on one'end of thecarriage, one of said supporting` rails being intermediate the gradingmeans and the other supporting rail and the latter rail being pivoted tothe frame for oscillation in a vertical plane, said carriage beingconnected to the pivoted rail for oscillation therewith and free ofconnection with said other supporting rail but restricted thereby in itspivotal movement to limit thel lowermost level at which the gradingmeans may operate, the carriage and grading means being manually andbodily movable transversely of the frame for grading a tie bed; anddriving means on the frame for said grading means.

11. The combination of claim 10 further characterized in that rollermeans are provided to support the carriage o-n the carriage movementlimiting rail, said roller means being adjustable to vary the lowermostlevel at which the grading means may operate.

12. The combination of claim 10 further chary acterized in that rollermeans are provided to support the carriage for movement alongv thepivoted supporting rail and to prevent displacement of the frame fromsaid rail in all directions laterally thereof; and that means areprovided for imparting swinging movement to the pivoted rail,independently of lsaid roller means, when the frame is oscillated,whereby to prevent undesirable binding action between the pivoted railand the roller means.

13. The combination of claim l0 further characterized in that rollermeans are provided to support said carriage for movement along saidpivoted supporting rail and to substantially prevent all movement of theframe transversely of said rail; roller means are provided to supportthe carriage for movement along said movement limiting rail; a thirdrail, supported by the pivoted rail, is arranged crosswise of the framebetween the pivoted rail and the opposite end of the frame; and a pairof substantially horizontally-disposed, vertically-spaced roller devicesis located on the frame with said third rail disposed therebetween,whereby, upon oscillation of the frame, coaction of said roller deviceswith the upper and lower faces of the third rail will impart swingingmovement to the pivoted rail.

14. A railway tie bed shaping machine comprising a wheeled truck adaptedto travel on the rails; a boom mounted on the truck for verticalswinging movement lengthwise of the truck and the rails and also bodilymovement transversely of the truck and the rails; power driven` tie bedgrading means carried by the boom; and means Asaid support for verticalswinging movement therewith and also for bodily movement on said supporttransversely of the truck; tie bed grading means carried by one end ofthe boom; a prime mover carried by the opposite end of the boom tosubstantially counterbalance the boom; a driv'- ing connection betweenthe prime mover and theY grading means; and adjustable gaging means in-`terposed between the truck and the boom in all" transverse positions of`adjustment of the boom, whereby to limit the depth to which the gradingmeans may operate to'dress a tie' bed. f

JOHN cfr'oREMAN. v LEONARD f J; vovnRMAN.l

